Tairoa (1920)

Builder:
Sir W. G. Armstrong, Whitworth
& Company Ltd.
Newcastle-on-Tyne, England
Ordered:
N/A
Keel Laid:
N/A
Year Built:
1920
Launched:
February 4, 1920
Type:
Cargo (Refrigerated)
Completed:
July 1920
Fate:
Captured and sunk Dec. 3, 1939 by the German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee.
Sunk by 5.9" (150mm) gunfire and torpedo.

Location: South Atlantic, 648 miles southeast of Saint Helena Island.
(20.20S - 03.05E)

The 81 man crew were taken POW, no casualties (5 injured).


Owner
Shaw, Savill & Albion Line
London, England


Dimensions, machinery and performance
Length:
494'
Engines:
2 quadruple expansion
Beam:
63' 3"
Boilers:
N/A
Draft:
31' 2" (depth)
Shafts:
2
Gross Tons:
7,983
HP:
1,011
DWT:
6,350
Speed:
13.5 knots
Crew:
N/A
Funnels:
1


Captains
From
To
Name
N/A
Dec. 3, 1939


Notes
Dec. 3, 1939:
Tairoa is located by the Admiral Graf Spee at 05:18, the cruiser approaches and orders
the Tairoa not to send a distress signal, there is also a banner on the superstructure of the
Admiral Graf Spee that reads "Stop wireless or I open fire!" (photo seen on Page 5 of the
Admiral Graf Spee photo gallery
). Radio Officer Patrick J. Cummins (a) transmits a distress
signal which is heard on the Admiral Graf Spee, Langsdorff opens fire with the 1.5" (37mm)
machine guns destroying the radio. Cummins used a makeshift radio and continued to send
signals until the ship was fired on again. Some documents were captured from the radio
shack and the crew were taken POW and moved to the Admiral Graf Spee. Tairoa is then
sunk using the 5.9" (150mm) gun and a torpedo.

Dec. 6, 1939:
Most of the crew was transferred to the Altmark, those remaining on the Admiral Graf Spee
were; Edwin J. M. Angell (b) (Chief Refrigerating Engineer), Patrick J. Cummins (Radio
Officer), A. D. Dixon (Deck Boy), John E. Farmer (c) (Sailor), J. E. Leedale (Deck Boy),
F. M. Murphy (Chief Officer) and O. S. Walker (Chief Engineer), they remained POW's on
the Admiral Graf Spee until released in Montevideo, Uruguay on Dec. 14, 1939 following
the Battle of the River Plate. Capt. William B. S. Starr (d) chose to remain with his crew and was
transferred to the Altmark.

(a): Awarded MBE.

(b): Returned to the Merchant Navy, sadly he died on Aug. 19, 1942 in
SS British Consul which was sunk by U-564.


(c): Passed away in 1991.

(d): King's Commendation for Brave Conduct.

Feb. 16, 1940:
The 302 crewmen from Newton Beech, Ashlea, Huntsman, Trevanion, Doric Star and Tairoa
being held prisoner on the Altmark were rescued by the HMS Cossack F-03 in Jøssingfjord,
Norway
after the crew of the Cossack forced the Altmark to ground and boarded the ship.

Notes
(The Maimoa, sister to Tairoa, was sunk on Nov. 20, 1940 by the German Hilfskreuzer
Pinguin.)


Crewmen rescued from the Altmark
Adamson, Les. (Fireman)
Miller, W. G. (Refrigerating Greaser)
Arter, D. W. (Trimmer)
Moran, J. (Fireman)
Bammant, J. R. (4th Mate)
Naylor, J. L. (2nd Engineer)
Bannon, J. (Refrigerating Greaser)
Newton, A. (Fireman)
Barker, G. (Greaser)
Nicholas, D. W. (Able Seaman)
Blakeman, W. E. (Ordinary Seaman)
Oakley, J. E. (Greaser)
Blithe, J. (Fireman)
O'Brien, P. O. (Trimmer)
Brown, N. K. (4th Engineer)
Olsson, F. (Greaser)
Connaughton, P. J. (2nd Steward)
O'Toole, M. (Trimmer)
Cook, D. W. (Trimmer)
Paterson, F. J. (3rd Mate)
Costa, R. A. (2nd Mate)
Payne, T. (Able Seaman)
Daly, J. A. (Supernumerary Deck Hand)
Pemberton, S. (Deck Boy)
Downey, R. (Fireman)
Phelan, V. R. (2nd Cook and Baker)
Evans, G. K. J. (Trimmer)
Pittam, R. (Trimmer)
Gant, A. (Trimmer)
Poysden, H. (Fireman)
Gordon, J. (Fireman)
Purvis, N. J. G. (Engineer's Steward)
Gosling, D. (Lamps)
Quigley, John (Greaser)
Grant, T. C. E. (Trimmer)
Reynolds, J. (Fireman)
Guthrie, N. F. (Steward's Boy)
Robinson, W. C. H. (Trimmer)
Hall, C. J. (Able Seaman)
Rodgers, H. E. (Ordinary Seaman)
Hansen, J. W. R. (Chief and Ship's cook)
Rowell, T. W. (2nd Refrigerating Engineer)
Hill, Francis G. (Trimmer)
Rowsell, S. J. (Trimmer)
Hoban, M. J. (Fireman)
Shorland, H. (Trimmer)
Hunter, I. F. (5th Engineer)
Smith, J. C. (Chief Steward)
Kean, F. L. (Supernumerary Mate)
Southeard, L. C. (Deck Boy)
Keating, James (Fireman)
Stark, F. C. (Trimmer)
Ketley, A. C. (6th Engineer)
Starr, William. B. S. (Master)
Langhelt, E. (Bosun)
Stone, R. H. (Sailor)
Langley, H. (Able Seaman)
Summers, J. (Fireman)
Lindberg, A. (Greaser)
Tanner, H. T. (Trimmer)
MacDonald, T. C. (Trimmer)
Taylor, C. W. (3rd Engineer)
Matthews, T. (Greaser)
Tynrmouth, T. (Carpenter)
McCarthy, J. (Refrigerating Greaser)
Webb, J. G. (Trimmer)
McLeod, D. (Able Seaman)
Wells, Wally F. (7th Engineer)
McMillan, D. (Engineer's Steward)
Whelan, A. J. (Trimmer)
McMinn, W. E. (Fireman)
Wightman, T. (Assistant Steward)
McWhinney, S. (Scullion)
Wilkins, J. (Engineroom Stores)


Additional information for this page was provided by General Enrique R. Dick and Hugo R. Sochi.


Builder's Data
Page published Mar. 19, 2008